The Battle of Alberta may be more of a skirmish at the NHL level these days, what with the Oilers and Flames languishing at the bottom of the standings, but in the Western Hockey League Alberta’s sister cities have a rip-snorting rivalry in full flower.

On Saturday night it was Edmonton Oil Kings time to shine, as they whacked the Hitmen 7-3 before 9900 appreciative fans at Rexall Place. The locals managed to outshoot the visitors 19-6 in the first period despite being shorthanded for almost 9 minutes, and the 2-0 lead the Oil Kings carried to the locker room quickly ballooned to an overwhelming 5-0 edge by the 4:12 mark of the second before an overwhelmed Chris Driedger made his way to Calgary bench. From there it was pretty much extended garbage time; while the Hitmen managed to peck away at the deficit they never really threatened to make a game of it.

With the win the Oil Kings overtook Calgary for first place in the WHL’s Central Division and the Eastern Conference. Both teams have 67 points, though the Oil Kings have one game in hand, not to mention a significant advantage in goal differential at +75 to +51. The two teams meet again in Calgary on Sunday afternoon to temporarily break the deadlock.

Despite the one-sided defeat, Oilers draft pick Greg Chase managed to make a solid impression, earning second star honours with a 2-goal, 1-assist performance for the losers.

Chase has been something of a revelation this season after being selected by the Oilers in the 7th and final round of the 2013 NHL draft. 46 games into his third full season, he has already established new career highs for goals and points with 27-26-53 to lead all Hitmen scorers. His impressive +25 also ranks #1 among Calgary players.

Listed as a centre, Chase lined up at right wing for most of Saturday’s game, playing with Brady Brassert and Kenton Helgeson at first before sliding onto a line with Adam Tambellini and Mike Winther, two names with a little bit of Oilers history behind them. Tambellini and Winther wound up with two points apiece as that trio did all the damage for Calgary, while Edmonton spread out its scoring among three lines that each connected for multiple tallies.

Chase is a solid customer, listed at 6’½” tall and 204 pounds, who is noted for his agitating style. That wasn’t much in evidence on Saturday (the score might have had something to do with that), although he did bring a little bit of grease into third period encounters with Riley Kieser and Mads Eller.

The Sherwood Park native appeared to be a fairly average skater, didn’t really leave a strong impression either pro or con in that respect. What did impress were his hands, as he had the puck on his blade numerous times throughout the game and was equally comfortable carrying it himself or moving it along to a teammate. His passes ranged from a three-foot touch pass under pressure to a breaking teammate in the neutral zone to a crisp head-man feed that sprang a Calgary zone entry leading to a goal.

The scoring plays were nothing special: both of Chase’s goals came from the edge of the crease as he found a little space and a loose puck in both cases. The assist was a shot from the high slot that Edmonton netminder Tristan Jarry warded off only to be beaten on the rebound. Two of the points came on the powerplay, a unit which the right-shooting Chase often controlled from the left wing hash marks. In all three cases he had an additional role in the sequence leading up to the finish: good retrieval/distribution of a loose puck to retain the zone in one instance; a lead pass to gain the zone in another; and a won o-zone faceoff in the last case. Truth be told, when things went right for the Hitmen on Saturday night (which wasn’t that often), Greg Chase was likely in the middle of it.

Meanwhile, on the Oil Kings side of the puck, another Oilers prospect had a strong game. Mitch Moroz scored just one point in the blitzkrieg, but exerted offensive pressure on an ongoing basis. That started with his first shift which contained three separate thrusts on goal by the big winger including two drives to the blue paint that forced good stops from Driedger. He did some good work throughout the game with centre Henrik Samuelsson, with some excellent give-and-go chemistry between the two power forwards. Moroz fed Samuelsson directly for at least three dangerous shots and was on the receiving end a few times as well.

The 2012 second-round pick continues to impress this observer with his speed, using it to his advantage on two or three occasions where he won races to 50/50 or even 40/60 pucks to control the disc and gain the zone. Once in possession, he is very difficult to knock off the puck; on one occasion he circled the Calgary zone controlling the disc with one hand on his stick while warding off a sequence of would-be checkers with the other. Without the disc his instincts take him to the front of the net where he establishes good position for screens and rebounds, be it on the powerplay or at even-strength. His screen was a key contributor to Griffin Reinhart’s game winner, a wrist shot from distance that Driedger couldn’t find through the traffic.

After Saturday’s action Moroz continues to maintain exactly a point-per-game pace through 47 games, with 25-22-47 and a solid +25 rating, tied with Chase for 7th in the Dub.

Where both Chase and Moroz had some difficulties was in handling the puck under pressure inside their own blueline, a crucial skill for a winger which to these eyes is a work in progress for both men. But as the old saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. By eye both players seem to be making excellent progress, even as both are years away from the big leagues. Moroz is certain to turn pro in 2014-15, while Chase still has a year of junior eligibility, thanks to his January 1, 1995 birthdate. Both will remain players of interest in an Oilers system desperate to develop a big, skilled forward or two.

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